Written by

John Ferro

Poughkeepsie Journal

ONLINE

HOPEWELL JUNCTION — The state Department of Transportation says it will be another year before new wells are drilled for Town of East Fishkill residents whose groundwater is contaminated with high levels of sodium and chloride.

A DOT spokeswoman said the agency would meet with the affected property owners within the next few weeks to secure written agreements for the new wells.

In November, a Poughkeepsie Journal investigation found that levels of the contaminants had remained unchanged since the problem was first discovered in 1995. The DOT has been paying for bottled water and well tests since 1996.

In response to the Journal’s report, DOT Commissioner Joan McDonald vowed to resolve the problem. McDonald said providing bottled water “is certainly not a long-term solution.”

The affected properties lie a short distance from a DOT maintenance facility at Route 52 and the Taconic State Parkway.

Road salt was stored uncovered for decades at the site before the building of a dome-like structure in 1996. The facility has been active since at least 1962, DOT documents show.

“We look forward to meeting with the homeowners to talk to them about plans for providing them with new drinking water wells,” spokeswoman Jennifer Post said Thursday.

Earlier this year, the DOT hired a Long Island-based engineering consultant to investigate the costs and benefits of solutions ranging from digging new wells to installing a municipal water system. The agency held meetings with residents in February and March. It is moving forward with a plan to dig new wells at seven properties.

The agency also plans to provide owners with a lump sum compensation for damage to household infrastructure.

At its March meeting, the agency said digging seven new wells would cost $595,000. It has not specified how much each property owner will receive. Those figures will be determined in consultation with the property owners.

After the agreements are secured, the agency must put the project out to bid. In a June 17 email to one of the affected homeowners, Sandra Jobson, the DOT’s project manager, said the estimated time for implementation is 12 months from bid through construction.

Jobson wrote the agency is “currently identifying funding sources.”

Rosemarie Hyatt, 67, lives at one of the affected properties on Route 52. She said she is skeptical the agency will follow through.

“After 18 years, they didn’t do anything,” she said. “I don’t expect them to do anything now. It’s cheaper for them to deliver me water. Problem is, I am getting too old to pick up these jugs.”